Project to Boost Agricultural Production and Exports to EU Gets $37.9 Million

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) will continue the implementation of the European Development Fund (EDF) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Capacity Building Project, this year, with a $37.9 million allocation in the 2015/16 Estimates of Expenditure, now before Parliament.

The project aims to facilitate increased production and more diversified export of agricultural and agro-processed products to the European Union (EU) market.

The engagement, which commenced in May 2012, has recorded significant achievements in activities undertaken in three components, up to the end of December 2014.

Under component one, equipment and supplies were delivered to eight public food testing laboratories to increase their capacity for product testing and certification in compliance with international standards. These facilities are overseen by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, and Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ), as well as the Pesticides Research Laboratory.

Component two entailed measures to increase awareness of international standards and technical requirements in the public sector. This included: 15 training attachments arranged with international food training and regulatory institutions; nine missions to international conferences; and five officers participating in study tours with international counterparts in the United States.

Anticipated targets for 2015/16 include: recruiting contractors to upgrade the plant virology laboratory at the Bodles Agricultural Research Station in St. Catherine; procurement of the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation’s (JANAAC) services to certify upgraded laboratories; and conducting seminars and workshops on Sanitary PhytoSanitary (SPS) and technical barriers to trade.

The project, which is funded by the European Union (EU), and was scheduled to end in May 2015, has been extended by 12 months.